08.02.2024
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
The start-up Sunvigo wants to build a Europe-wide "solar power community" and network it into a virtual power plant. This could be financially worthwhile for customers.
A solar system on your own roof at zero cost and an electricity price of around 16 cents/kWh guaranteed for 20 years: This is how the Cologne-based start-up Sunvigo is currently advertising its "Sunfarming" concept.
Sunvigo installs, operates and maintains a PV system on the customer's roof. These systems are connected in a virtual power plant and the surplus electricity produced is made available to all Sunvigo customers.
The latter can conclude an electricity contract with Sunvigo with a fixed price of 15.95 cents/kWh guaranteed for 20 years or a contract with dynamic electricity prices. According to the Sunvigo website, most of the electricity then comes from the solar system on their own roof. If the sun is not shining, electricity is supplied from other renewable energy sources, primarily wind and hydropower.
Sunvigo cooperates with the Zurich-based IT specialist Exnaton. For users of the "Sunvigo Green Dynamic" tariff, Sunvigo is installing a "Sunformer" control box alongside the smart metering system, which enables coordinated control of different consumers, according to a company statement. In combination with smart consumption forecasts, customers can plan and control their electricity consumption in such a way that they benefit from the most favorable conditions possible.
Sunvigo uses the "PowerQuartier" billing platform from Exnaton for this purpose. By connecting to the European electricity exchange (Epex), market prices are imported and visualized in an easily accessible format for end consumers. Billing is monthly.
The electricity contract has a term of twelve months. However, if it is terminated, Sunvigo will continue to operate the system on the roof. However, homeowners also have the option of taking over the PV system after one year at a predetermined residual purchase value. After 20 to 30 years of use, the system becomes the property of the homeowner free of charge or Sunvigo takes over the deinstallation.
Sunvigo, which recently launched a pilot project with the transmission system operator Tennet on the use of small-scale flexibility in congestion management (we reported), was founded in Cologne in 2020 and is currently active on the German market with a team of 130 employees.
Author: Katia Meyer-Tien
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